The present invention relates to a lead accumulator having a housing with a plurality of cells and a lid closing off the housing. The lid is comprised of a lower lid and an upper lid spaced apart from one another whereby in the space between the upper lid and the lower lid a plurality of chambers corresponding to the cells in the housing is provided. The chambers have guides for precipitating acid whereby the lid is furthermore provided with a fill and check opening for each cell that is closable by a stopper. The fill and check opening is surrounded by an annular stay having a degassing and return outlet. The accumulator has at least one ignition protector within the lid.
A lead accumulator of this type is known from German Gebrauchsmuster 84 30 246. The known accumulator has a housing, made of thermoplastic material, with a plurality of cells therein. The housing is closed off by a lid which is in the form of a so-called block lid in which between an upper lid portion and a spaced apart lower lid portion a chamber is provided for each cell. In these chambers deflecting guides for the precipitation of acid are provided. Each cell is provided with a filling opening within the lid which may further serve as a check opening. These fill and check openings are closable with stoppers. Within the chamber, the fill and check openings are surrounded by an annular stay which has a degassing and return outlet whereby this annular stay together with the deflecting guides provide the labyrinth for the acid precipitation. Furthermore, the accumulator has an ignition protector within the lid.
A disadvantage of the known lead accumulator is that when turning the housing by 90.degree., i.e., when the housing rests on one of its four sidewalls, depending on position and length of the turning the chambers may fill with acid which may result in the acid entering the ignition protector and flowing from there via the gas release channel to the outside. When the ignition protector has been wetted once, acid will always leak. This must be prevented in vehicles for safety reasons, especially when the lead accumulator is used as the starter battery in motorized vehicles.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve a lead accumulator such that in a turned position for a limited time, for example, within 20 hours when resting on one of its sidewalls and within one hour when being tilted, no acid is able to reach the ignition protector or is able to leak from the battery.